1. Field
This invention relates generally to media, particularly to a system and method to automatically select a data network video as a television show based on a persona.
2. Related Art
Television is among the many media adopting the new digital age. In 2009, United States will officially switch to digital television broadcast. Most national and local television stations are already broadcasting digital television in addition to the analog format, anticipating the switch off in 2009.
In addition to digital television broadcast, many television shows and programs are also distributed in other digital forms, such as DVD's, digital recording through DVR's, over the Internet as downloadable video files or streaming videos. Video downloading services examples include Apple's iTunes™, Amazon's Unbox™. Streaming television video web portals include Netflix™, Hulu™, Veoh™, websites of CBS™, ABC™, Disney™, and many others. Even cable operators such as Comcast™ offer online streaming television videos on their websites, such as Fancast™
Vice versa, many online videos are showing up on television sets. For example, AppleTV™ and other set top boxes can play YouTube™ videos on television sets. A digital television set typically includes a PC-input, allowing a consumer to connect a PC to the television set. The consumer can use the television set similar to a normal monitor, and can watch online videos from their favorite websites through the PC. The consumer can watch on the television set the traditional television shows as well as online videos from the Internet.
Mary watches television every night. She enjoys a good two hours of television viewing after dinner every week night. In the past, she would check the television guide for her favorite television shows and tuned to the proper television channels. Today, she can watch her favorite shows, current episodes or episode from earlier seasons on her television set. She even finds shows she missed in past few years when she was not home. Moreover, she enjoys watching on the television set her favorite French television shows found on YouTube™. Last night after she finished her dinner, she prepared a nice cup of tea and leaned back on her couch. She turned on the television. There was not any favorite television show she wanted to see on her cable network. She switched to her AppleTV™ and started thinking what she wanted to see. She flipped down the available shows. Nothing was particularly interesting. She then switched to Netflix™. “Nice old episodes but no thanks,” she mumbled. She switched to YouTube™. “Ok, what should I search?” “I just want to relax. I am not going to search,” she said. She went to Hulu.com. “Ok, what show do I want to see . . . ” After twenty minutes of clicking on the remote, she gave up. “Oh, well. I guess tonight is not a television night.”
Having a choice is good for consumers. Having too many choices is, however, confusing to consumers. Mary likes an easy evening with something showing on the television set. No violence. Good comedy, drama, occasionally minor action. Sports like skiing or tennis is good. Often she reads while watching television. When a comedy is showing and there is a good joke, she would switch from reading to watching for the next ten minutes or so to enjoy the good laughs from the comedian.
Mary likes Brooke Shields. Mary especially enjoys Lipstick Jungle, a television series in which Shields co-stars. Mary would love to watch the videos and movies Shields likes. Mary would also like to hear what other fans of Shields watch. Mary thinks she would likely enjoy similar videos as the fans.
Tonight Mary also plans to enjoy the evening with herself watching some television. We hope she will find a television show to watch; a show Shields would enjoy too.
John watches television as well. John likes sports. His favorite athletes include basketball player Kobe Bryant and football quarterback Peyton Manning. John thinks it would be cool to watch similar shows Bryant and Manning would watch. John is also a big fan of actor Sean Connery. John has watched all of Connery's movies. John always wonders what videos Connery like to see. When John turns on his television set and flips to a channel showing a rerun of Star Trek which does not interest John, he always questions why the programming networks cannot show only his favorite television shows.
The above scenarios illustrate the frustrations of viewers when confronted with too many video choices without an easy way to identify those of interest to the viewer. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a method and a system to automatically select a data network video as a television show based on a persona.